A network such as an optical network can comprise a plurality of different distributed network devices. The network devices can be any kind of network devices such as routers, bridges, Add-drop multiplexers or they may comprise components of devices such as printed circuit boards, insertable cards or modules. For instance, a rack can comprise a number of different network devices formed by modules which can be sampled in the rack. The network can comprise a plurality of different distributed network devices which may be active or inactive. A network device such as a module or a host device might be deactivated for maintenance or repair purposes. Further, a network device might become outdated or must be replaced by another network device. In this case, the network device can be deactivated or switched off and be used for recycling. The network device can comprise components which can be used for recycling such as components consisting of valuable materials including metals. The recycling includes the collection and recovery of products and/or devices as well as the recovery of components and/or parts of the devices and/or the recovery and recycling of materials of products and/or parts of the distributed network devices. Consequently, the management of the repair, reuse and recycling of network devices within a distributed network is complex.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a management system which allows for reliable and efficient life cycle management of distributed network devices of a network.